Lessons in blogging learned…and shared

What’s With the Title?

Admittedly, Worms In the Fridge is kind of an odd name for a blog about anything other than worms or refrigerators. This blog is about neither of those two things. It’s about what I’ve learned and continue to learn from running a web-based business. The story below is what inspired the title of this blog.

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Mother Discovering Worms In Her Refrigerator

It was a beautiful summer day in 1988 when my mother ran out of the backdoor of our house screaming my name and interrupting my at-bat in one of the many Wiffle Ball games that my siblings and I staged every day. I learned an important lesson that day, “hell hath no fury like a mother with worms loose in her refrigerator.” You see at nine years old I was already a cheapskate and an entrepreneur. My business was delivering newspapers. My passions were baseball and fishing. I spent my newspaper income on Wiffle Balls and fishing tackle, but I wouldn’t spend it on bait because bait could be found in the ground for free. So early in the morning I would go outside and dig up worms in our backyard. The worms I found were placed in coffee cans packed with dirt then brought inside and placed in the back of the refrigerator to stay cool until my next bicycle-powered excursion to Saulter’s Pond. This beautiful system hit a snag the day that I forgot to put a lid on the coffee can full of worms before putting it in my mother’s refrigerator.

Twenty-five years later I’m still an entrepreneur and I’m still a bit of a cheapskate. Today, I’m self-employed as a full-time writer and speaker in the field of educational technology, you can find the bulk of my work on Free Technology for Teachers. Until a two months ago I lived in a 750 square foot house that I rented for $400/month. And although I did buy my first home toward the end of 2013 I am refusing to turn the heat up past 60F in the winter (hats and sweatshirts are cheap compared to buying propane). I’m still passionate about fishing and baseball (my siblings and I still play Wiffle Ball together when we can) and my journey to self-employment was fueled by the desire to go fishing. Follow along with me as I continue my quest to stay self-employed and to go fishing when I want to (sometimes my excursions are still bicycle-powered).

The Purpose Of This Blog

The purpose of this blog is to share the lessons that I’ve learned in building a business of writing, speaking, and consulting. My business helps teachers be better at what they do, help students. The energy to build my business is found in my desire to have a life in which I can pursue my passions.

Subscribe to Worms In the Fridge to learn from my experiences in building a successful business online. I promise to disclose my mistakes and successes so that we can all learn together. New posts appear on Wednesday and Sunday.

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About Richard

I'm a former high school social studies teacher turned full-time blogger and educational technology consultant. I'm best known for my award-winning blog Free Technology for Teachers which I grew, with the help of a great audience, from a simple hobby in 2007 to a full-time job by 2011.